Totally. Having that kind of self-awareness about what does or doesn’t work for you is key. Do you have any favorite wind-down beauty rituals after a long day on set?
My favorite is a bath. I need a bath, I need to soak in a bath! [Laughs] I’ll do my skincare routine, and on those nights when I do a face mask, it’s really nice to do it in the tub. I put a nice oil in and just really wind down that way. It’s a huge, huge part of my day, actually. I love me some Epsom salts too.
Okay, so let’s say you had the day off and you could dedicate an entire day to self-care. What would your schedule look like?
Okay, so, I wake up and probably do the bad thing: just scroll on Instagram for a minute because I’m not too big to admit that I’m addicted like everyone else [laughs]. I’ll also have some fresh celery juice first thing because it’s really good for the gut and recalibrating things in the body. I’ll wait maybe 15 minutes or a half an hour, and then I’ll have a cup of tea (usually an earl grey with a splash of almond milk because it’s delicious), and then make some breakfast. I’m really into oats in the morning—it’s just a really good, hearty breakfast. I’ll usually add plant-based milk, blueberries, cinnamon, some banana, and just make it really delicious.
I always like to exercise in the morning, and that could be going for a run, going to the gym, or doing yoga, or whatever. I love Netflix and TV and streaming and all of that, but I’m also a huge fan of just sitting in silence and enjoying being on my own. I can be quite introverted, so actually, quiet and alone time is quite essential for me to be able to recharge and go back out into the world or go back to work. I’ll maybe read a script that I’ve been asked to read, phone my best friends or family and check-in with them and see how they are.
And then for dinner, it changes every day, but last night my mom and I made a really delicious cabbage soup and we had it with nice, buttery bread. I love to cook vegan Caribbean foods—rice and peas, plantain, steamed vegetables, sometimes I do a curry chickpea. I like to cook; there’s something about cooking that’s really therapeutic and fulfilling for me.
Switching gears a little bit, but out of all of the characters you’ve played, whose beauty aesthetic did you have the most fun with?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I do think my character in Army of Thieves just because of how much I got to play around with hair and makeup. But, I think there was also something so classic and natural about my character Missandei in Game of Thrones. She had her cute little braid in the front, [and] just the simplicity and beauty of it. I always associate that with her, and it sort of just gives me warm fuzzies. I like how in the later seasons, they kind of upgraded her braid situation, which was really cool.
We also have to talk about your curls because they’re beautiful, and I know you’ve been very open about embracing your natural texture. Can you drop some of your best curl secrets?
Hydration is key. Also, combing your hair when it’s wet, and if you can kind of detangle with your fingers beforehand, that’s even better. There are better brushes than others, so use one that’s gentle on your hair and take your time so you’re careful not to cause breakage. Another tip would be to set your hair when it is sopping wet with a good leave-in conditioner—something that’s got a little bit of hold—or you can even mix a leave-in with a curl gel when your hair is wet. Lastly, if you can avoid heat and let your curls dry naturally and let them expand over the coming days in your wash cycle, then cool, but if you are going to have to dry it with heat, use a diffuser and keep it on the low setting!
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